On the Road to Nowhere
by London Bai
Summary: Zim has been released from his 'duty'. Now he must live with those he swore to kill. There is also a price on his head, but who sent the killer and who is he? The Irken must learn to gain the trust of two humans in order to find out before Zim is killed.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Show does not belong to me  
With that said, enjoy.  
Note: This chapter and the next are short for a reason**

* * *

Dead

He died where he stood before the computer.

Then again, he hasn't died.

No. He still lived, but he did't _want_ to live.

According to the computer, he had been standing in that same spot for an entire day. That meant he missed a day of Joonyer Skool, but for the moment he didn't care. All that he thought that he was working for was all a lie and sick entertainment for the leaders of his planet.

The Tallest. The _Almighty_ Tallest. He'd scoff at their "almighty-ness", but he feared that if he moved the slightest bit, he'd become weak and that was something an Irken could not be. Even defective Irkens must have a sense of dignity.

No, wait. He lost that years ago, didn't he? He made a fool of himself time after time again in front of the Tallest. If that is so, then why did he still feel as if he must keep from feeling anything?

Then, he heard something scuttle slyly around his base. Gir didn't know how to be quiet, so it must have been that Dib-stink. Yes, his human pig stench wafted about the base. The alien don't know what to do. If he moved, he'd lose himself to emotion, but if he didn't deal with the talking pile of pig-dookie, he'd kill the alien on the spot.

Even after a few years of being on this isolated rock, the Dib-human still wanted to rid the planet of the alien. Perhaps if Dib was caught – caught, not attacked – he'd have to listen to the alien and what he had to say about his new found position. Maybe, just maybe, he'd leave the alien alone and he's finally get the peace he need to sort out his priorities as a banished Defect.

A slight smile slithered over his sharp teeth. Time is exactly what this Irken needed to settle with the idea of banishment. He heard the _human_ breathe his foul breath behind the alien.

"Hello, Zim. It seems that your gnomes aren't working today and all I had to give Gir was a bag of tacos. Didn't your computer warn you that a human was on your land?" The human laughed as if he had already won.

The alien sighed at Dib's inability to see that something was wrong. "Dib-stink." He said with no emotion. "As much as I enjoy having you over, I'm afraid I must ask you to do me a favor."

"Zim is asking a favor of me, a human? OH! This is just perfect. You certainly made my day, Zim." He laughed again. "What is it that you want, alien scum?"

"I want you to listen to me."

"Ahahahaha... I'll never... wait... what?"

The alien's shoulders hunched over after being stiff for a day. "Listen to me, Dib-human."

"Uh... okay, I guess."

Zim turned, finally facing his mortal enemy. He knew that he looked worse for wear, but Zim needed Dib to leave the base and Zim alone after this encounter. "I contacted my leaders yesterday as I do everyday as an Irken soldier is expected to do. I gave them my report about my next plan to take over the rock you call 'home', when they started laughing. At first, I thought they were laughing at my ingenious plan when they told me that I wasn't actually on a mission. They had lied to me just to keep me away from the actual Impending Doom part II. I am what they called me a Defect which is a terrible title to be named in Irken society."

The human rudely scoffed and raised a sleek laser weapon that he carried in. "What is your point of telling me this, Zim?"

"My point, Dib-stink, is that I will no longer be your enemy. I will be just another face you happen to know on this planet. I will be conducting plans no longer, so you can live in peace. Now leave and never come back again. Leave me to rot within the walls of my base. I can not promise anything, but I can say that if and when you see me, I won't be of any problem."

"Does that mean you're giving up?" Zim knew that the human would be ignorant to a point.

"Yes, Dib-dookie. I'm giving up. You won't even see me at the skool anymore. I'll be sending my robot parents a form stating that I'm being homeskooled instead. Good-bye." He turned away and faced the large computer screen. "Computer, please make sure that the human is shown the door. Nicely, if you can manage that."

_Of course, Master._ The computer replied without sarcasm for once as hose-like metal arms appeared from various nooks and crannies. _Come, human child. My Master wishes to be left alone._

The arms began to lead the human out. Zim watched Dib through the reflection of the screen. He looked hesitantly at the arms before turning around and walking toward the elevator. Once he stood on the platform, he looked back at the alien.

"If this is a trick, Zim, I'll kill you."

"Even if this were a trick, Dib-_human_, I'd welcome death at the moment." Zim said loud enough for Dib to hear before Zim pressed a button on the keyboard to lift the platform before the human could open his retched pie hole. Zim turned on the screen to a camera within the base to make sure that the human would leave. Dib stopped to talk to Gir for a moment, who was hiding in his taco bag.

"_What's going on with your Master, Gir?"_

Gir's eyes suddenly looked sad. _"Oh. My Master is banished from returning to any Irken owned planet or ship. He tolded me that the Tallest don't like him anymore. My Master is so sad. He wants to die, but I tolded him that I'd have no one to give me taquitos cause I LOVE taquitos! Do you have anymore tacos?"_

"_Ah, no. Sorry."_ The human said hesitantly. Gir 'awwed'. _"Well, I'll be leaving, then. Later."_

Zim turned the screen off. Hopefully, he will be alone from the humans now. He slumped in a corner of his base and curled up in a tight ball. Maybe, if he 'sleep' as the humans did, he'd feel better.

_Master?_ The computer asked.

"What is it, computer?" He answered quietly.

_What will we do now?_

He closed his Irken eyes and sighed. "I don't know. When I _do_ know, I'll tell you. Until then, let me sleep."

_Yes, Master._


	2. Transmission

**Enter Transmission  
Accept?...** Yes  
**Transmission Start**

**Planet** .,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.earth  
**Quadrant** .,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,. 4  
**Section** .,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,. 285  
**Dominant species** .,.,., human beings  
**Special abilities** .,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,. none  
**Threat to mission** .,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,. Irken  
**Goal to annihilate **.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,. **Zim  
Payment** .,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,. unlimited  
**Amount of time** .,.,.,.,.,. 7 Earth years

**End Transmission**

**Captain's Blog- Space Year 786909:** I have just received a message from an unknown source stating a job for me to do. It is a long term job, so I'll finish the others I have before marking Earth on my star-maps. Perhaps I'll gain what I need from this mission to go into an early retirement. Yes! I have a feeling who the unknown messenger is, so I'll just ask for a paradise planet to be ALL mine, plus a... generous bonus in money to keep me sustained until I die which won't be anytime soon.

For the moment, I am in the 13th quadrant and will be accepting jobs on my way to this planet Earth. With my ship starting to fall apart on me since the invasion of the odd rebel group called the Resisty, I'll have to purchase a new ship at my next port. There's bound to be another Moon Port somewhere in this awful section. And I think I'll take my further jobs alone. The rest of my poor crew that stayed with me instead of going with the rebel group will have to find their own jobs. Maybe I'll give them a little something before firing them. I am feeling generous at the moment.

**End Blog**


	3. The Beginning of the End

Sitting before him in a white endless expanse was a woman. An Earth woman by his knowledge. Her eyes are closed and her breathing was slow, peaceful. Long ebony hair floated around her body as if it was as alive as it's owner. The dress she wore was simple and purely white. Zim carefully approaches her to see what could be wrong with her when her eyes slide open.

"Don't be cautious. Nothing will harm you here." Her voice was a sound Zim could only wish to hear again. Irkens had shrill voices and the other humans were horse with their voices. This woman's was pure and melodic and as Zim walked closer to her, she didn't smell like the humans he had lived with. No, she smelled sweet and earthy, but he couldn't place what the scent is. "Hello."

"Uh... hi." His voice was dull and low compared to hers.

"Sit, relax. Do you know where you are?" Her light brown eyes glittered with her soft smile.

Zim settled himself a few feet in front of the woman. "I remember falling asleep, so I must be dreaming. Irkens can't dream, though, because we don't even sleep."

"Yes, but you've been living like a human since you've found out that you weren't who you thought you were." Her eyes dimmed a bit.

"But I've never dreamed before. Who are you?"

The woman lighted chuckled. "I seem to be visiting your mind for the moment because you need to learn something, so who I am isn't the point. It's who _you_ are that you need to know."

Zim abruptly stood up. "I know who I am! I don't need anyone telling me that!"

"Oh? Then answer me this: who _are_ you?"

"I am Zim, former Irken soldier and fry cook, Defect to the Irken society, and... and..." He sighs then. What else was he? "... and alone on this planet." His knees knocked upon the ground. "That is who I am."

The woman sadly hummed. "That is not who you are. That is who you _used_ to be. It has almost been a decade since you first landed on Earth and has been nearly seven years since you've received that message from your leaders. In seven years, you have changed. Do you not notice how tall you are? You may be Irken, but living on this planet has affected you as it would to a human. You are almost as tall as your leaders, so they must learn to accept who you are sooner or later."

"Who am I, then?" He asked, almost pleading in front of this glorious woman.

"I cannot say. You must learn that all on your own. To help you though, I want you to close your eyes." Zim obeyed and listened intently to her next words. "Now pay attention. Imagine me standing before you. Take in what you can sense about me."

He saw, in his head, the woman standing (instead of sitting) with her arms out to her sides and smiling at him. Her eyes shone with an emotion he was unfamiliar with and her stance was warm and inviting. He breathed in through his mouth to smell her wonderful yet unknown aroma which also tasted amazing on his tongue. He breathed out slowly and inhaled again through his antennas. The sweet smell warmly tingled throughout Zim's whole form. He sighed in relaxation. He imagined her speaking to him again with that light and airy voice. Just listening to her sent shivers down to his feet and back up to his head.

"Now hold out your hand." The real woman said. Zim lifted hand and came into contact with her own hand. Zim had never felt such soft and smooth skin before. Her warmth clung to him even after she took her hand away. "Do you have me in memory?" Zim softly nodded in response. "Good. Now imagine seeing right through me and into my mind. What do you see there?"

"I see an image of you with a child. You'd make a wonderful mother unit." She lightly laughed.

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, from what I've noticed about you is that you are warm and caring, thus making a good mother."

"Hmm... perhaps. Now open your eyes."

The image disappeared when Zim opened his eyes and saw the actual woman again only she held something in her arms. Resting in her arms was a baby with royal colored hair and a slight frown. The woman was glowing with happiness, Zim believed since he didn't know emotions yet.

"What is the point of this?" He asked.

"What is the point for anything?" She smirked. "You've learned to take what you knew and help mold that into what it's best use is despite what else you didn't know. I've done this for you and I see who you are and who you could be, but you need to do that for yourself. But I'm not finished just yet. Come here."

He inched toward the woman on his knees and waited for her to continue. Instead of speaking, she placed the baby in Zim's arms. "Take in anything and everything you can about this child before giving her back to me."

He nodded and focused on the child as he did for the woman. The baby had a white outfit on and taking the woman's words to heart, this child was a girl. Her sleek hair was a dark majestic color and held a hint of a fruity aroma. Not an Earth fruit, but the very rare and very delectable Irken fruit. Zim could only inhale and taste so much of the scent before his head began to spin. If he thought that the woman's skin was soft, Zim was sorely mistaken. Holding this little child was like trying to touch a silky cloud, it's material and had a weight, but was so smooth that it seemed to be weightless.

Suddenly, the baby's eyes opened and revealed a beautiful pair of dark gold orbs. Zim was taken aback by the beauty she has that was the same yet also differed from the woman. She seemed to be studying him as the slight frown upturned the slightest bit and a gleeful coo emanated from her. Zim smiled back before returning her to the woman.

"Close your eyes, again." Zim did so. "Take what you learned from the child and watch her grow."

He imagined the child sitting in front of him, her beautiful eyes staring intently at him as Zim began to add age to her. As soon as she was the age to stand up and walk by herself, she got up, still looking up at him. Her royal hair grew in length and her eyes began to have a menacing look about them, yet she still stared at Zim as if he was interesting. The wondrous scent from her began to ripen and grow more sweeter and intensify just like the Irken fruit. The girl sighed, much like how she cooed as a baby. Just from that sigh, he knew that her voice was as airy as the woman's.

Zim sighed again in release. The girl then reached her hand toward him. He touched her hand and marveled at her still so soft skin. Had he not been Irken, he would have cried being in the presence of the two amazing beings. Zim recalled what he saw to the woman.

"Open your eyes." He heard a smile in her voice as he obeyed and saw that the baby was a grown girl instead. "This is what you saw. By using what little you know about a person, be it any age, you can imagine who or what they'll be given time."

"I still don't see what this has to do with me." He gazed between the woman and girl.

"Sometimes, in order to find who you are, you'll need someone else to help you. Someone who doesn't know you, but knows that you exist. You need to gather what you can about yourself first before finding someone else to tell you who they think you are."

"So I had to do these two things to teach myself how to find who _I_ am? Why couldn't have you just told me... that... I...?" Zim trailed off of his line of thought when the girl began to look familiar to him. "I know who this is? This is a human I know. What is she doing in my dream?" Zim looked to the woman for answers, but by the solemn look on her face, he knew that she wouldn't tell him. "I'll have to figure all of this out on my own. Nice."

"This is the last thing I'll say to you: sometimes you can see who you are by seeing a reflection of yourself through someone else. Don't bottle up your feelings. As you've said, you're a Defect." She smiled so warmly. "Don't Defects feel emotions other than superiority, fear, and revenge?"

Zim nodded, but kept his eyes on the human he was familiar with. "She's going to help me. That's why she's here."

"Perhaps. Now, I'll say good-bye for it's your time to wake up." She waved goodbye at him followed by the girl as the image of them blurred and disappeared.

`'`'

Zim opened his eyes to see his little minions in a cuddling puddle at his feet on the floor. This certain corner of Zim's base had become the sleeping area and was very comforting to see his base still in one piece. Zim's guess was that Skoodge had kept an eye on things while he slept as usual. Zim slept at night while Skoodge slept during the day, so that everything was taken care of at all Earth hours of the day. Zim stretched and groaned in slight discomfort at the stiffness in his muscles. The moment he tried to stand, Gir woke up with scarlet eyes and stood at attention.

"Sir!" Gir saluted.

"What is it?" He lazily asked.

The robot's eyes shifted to its normal azure color. "We's out of FOOD and Skoodgey lost his disguise generator!" A little metal pink tongue hung out of Gir's grinning mouth.

"I'll go shopping then!" Zim pointed out irritatedly. "Computer, give me several twenty monies Earth bills." He listened to the whirring and cranking of his base producing what he asked for. While Zim waited, he grabbed his disguise and put them in place. Even though he was somewhat settled on Earth and have had spent time tinkering with his inventions, he gave Skoodge a better disguise than his own, Zim had kept his scratchy contacts and wig. In his eyes, it was too late to change anything about that now for the humans have seen him plenty of times with just those things on.

_Monies prepared, Master._ The computer sounded lethargic as if it needed sleep. It needed as much sleep as Gir needed more sweet induced foods.

Zim walked up to the keyboard and took the given monies, folding them neatly and pushing them in his pants pocket. At the same time, Zim noticed Skoodge coming in and settling where Zim once laid. He yawned once and then went limp with sleep. Zim rolled his contacted eyes and trudged into the base's elevator. The dream lingered in his mind as the elevator doors slid open where the poster of a squid sat nailed upon the wall. Ever since Zim grew at an alarming rate, he's had to make adjustments to the entrances to the lower areas of his base. He even had to learn how to sew Irken fabric material just to make sure that he had uniforms to wear. Of course, he knew that he could buy human clothes, but just because he had to live with them didn't meant that he had to be human himself.

Zim opened the front door, glared at the bright Earth sun, and hissed under his breath about how this day is not going to bode well as dark clouds brooded in the distance. At least he didn't have to worry about Dib-stink anymore. In fact, Zim had only seen the human once or twice since the transmission from the Tallest. For some reason, that thought made Zim smile.

"Nearly seven years and I've lived a peaceful life without that _human_ driving me insane. At least my focus has been..." Zim stopped talking at the sight of a chihuahua trotting across the street, straight toward Zim. When the dog was on the same sidewalk as Zim, he sat and looked up at the tall being. Zim's mouth twitched for a moment before slightly smirking. "Hi there, dog. See ya later." With that, Zim walked into town, feeling slightly better than he did when he woke up.

.*.*.

"I just don't get it, Gaz. If he were planning a long term plan, wouldn't have finished it some years ago and tried to attack us?" Dib paced around the kitchen like a wind-up toy wound up too many times.

Gaz scoffed, still focusing on her Game Slave 4ever. "Or has it ever occurred to you that he's _not_ planning anything?" Her voice was sharp and quick, hiding it's secret tone.

"But why? See? That's my question there! Why isn't he planning anything? He's still here on Earth, so if he gave up, why hasn't he left? Or he's still here because he has something up the alien sleeve of his. Yeah, I'm good." Dib grinned stupidly.

"I swear, Dib, if you say anything else about this topic, I'll plunge you into a nightmare world from which there is no waking." Gaz enunciated very menacingly.

Dib squeaked, still very afraid of his sister after years of putting up with her. "Alright, Gaz. I'll just go watch some TV." Dib rushed into the living room away from Gaz and clicked on the television set. Settling into the sofa, he changed the channels for anything interesting to rot his brain with until a very loud and very attention demanding commercial blared out, hurting Dib's ear drums.

"**Are your a major gamer? Is your life devoted to playing only the best of the best? Then this is for you! Game Slave 5-stars is going to be released in a store near you. Don't miss out on getting the all time best portable game system yet! It's new design is sleek and comes in different colors. So come on down because the lines open in one hour. One hour, folks! Be there, if you think you're the better gamer! **_Some stores may not carry all available colors. Some of the released games may have flashing patterns and may cause insanity due to lack of awesome gaming experiences. Batteries not included. Too bad._**"**

Dib looked in the direction of the kitchen expecting to see Gaz zoom out from where she is to head for the mall, but there was no sign of her. Curious, he tip-toes to the kitchen archway and peers in only to see the kitchen devoid of all life.

"Huh. She must have left before the commercial was over. Maybe she'll get the game system this time instead of torturing another kid. God knows what happened to him afterwards."

.*.*.

Meanwhile, in a local insane asylum: "I had it in my hands for not even four hours." Crazed eyes shifted about the padded room under a layer of green hair. "I swear that she's not human. When I saw into her eyes, I saw a bottomless nightmare world. It was the world she spoke of. So many demons. So much death." The boy laughed, crazed and odd as he tried to move his bound arms. His laughs carried throughout the building, scaring the other doomed souls stuck there, and lifted off into the rising day supporting overflowing overcasts of weather.

.*.*.

Back in the city: The violet haired female stormed along the crumbling sidewalk with such an aura that anyone who _felt_ her coming near quickly crossed the street to the other side. Some people even succeeded getting run over by rushing cars, which made the teen grimly smile. If she didn't have somewhere else to be, she'd stay and watch the road kill take their last breaths, but as it turned out she has to be at the mall before the line got too long. Far behind her, she heard the sound of running feet pounding on the pavement and voices talking to each other.

"Hurry! If we want to get the new version, we have to beat everyone else there!"

Their huffing and puffing only made Gaz's leg twitch in eagerness to trip them when they got past her, but then the other person heavily replied back.

"We might be too late! I heard that the line is longer than it was for the GS2 at the midnight release."

At that, Gaz didn't feel like tripping the other gamers. Instead, her heart started racing in preparation for the intense running she plunged into, leaving a cloud of dust for the runners behind her. To her, it was a good thing that she just had to pass the supermarket to finally get to the mall, but she was still a good block away and she was only a short distance sprinter.

Many open stores blurred in and out from her vision as the street marking the end of the block loomed ever closer. A smile crept upon Gaz's face again in victory until she noticed that the crosswalk sign was counting down to change to 'Don't Walk'. She forced her gray stocking clad legs to pump faster, just to make it to the to next block with only seconds left and eight huge slabs of concrete left.

'So close.' She thought in her head in a mantra-like fashion.

Her black booted feet eventually hit the curb, using the different level to add momentum to leap swiftly across the road just as the traveling vehicles zoom forward along the road. Heavily huffing, Gaz leaned her weight against a light pole for a moment, reliving that amazing jump in her head repetitively. Once her breathing was under control, Gaz straightened herself and took her first step only to wobble backward and lost her balance into the street. Gaz wasn't one to be afraid of death, so she quickly accepted her demise and didn't do anything to prevent getting smashed by a large truck until she suddenly flew forward into the light pole.

'Wait. Do light poles have arms?' Gaz gazed up and saw a tall light-green being holding her up.

"Are you well, human?" He asked calmly as if nothing had happened.

Gaz planted her feet on the ground and forcefully pushed the male away. No one was supposed to be near her, much less touch her. "I'm fine, but I suggest not doing that again."

"What, deliver you from definite and unforeseen destruction? Fine by me, _human_." He remarked snidely and began to walk off.

"No, wait!" Gaz cried out. 'Why did I do that?' She chided to herself, but she saw the being stop and turn looking expectantly to her. "I meant don't touch me." He seemed unsatisfied. "Longer than you have to." Gaz amended.

"If you're rather concluded, human, I'll be taking my leave." He said with a gradual release of weight to his shoulders and eyelids as he turned around again and made his way to the supermarket.

Gaz couldn't help but look at how he carried himself. How his stance was loose and broken. How his walk was seemingly laden with lead. How opposite it was from her own. For once, she felt sorry that someone was in pain, but that feeling was cut short with the runners catching up to her. Green savior forgotten, Gaz returned to her initial mission, yet she knew that something beyond her nightmare worlds was going to shift. For better or for worse, she hoped to know soon, hopefully before the rain came.


	4. Rainy Day

The woman sighed. "That'll be thirty-six fifty-two, sir."

Zim reached for the monies and handed her two twenty dollar bills and watched the other employee stuff the purchased items into two paper bags. All the humans that worked here seemed reluctant to work at this rancid hole they called a supermarket. Dark circles made up half of the humans faces while their dull shadowed eyes barely peeked out from the lowered brows. The woman worked the cash register without looking at the buttons and handed Zim his change.

Disgusted by the humans lack of will to do anything, Zim didn't even murmur a 'thank you' and snatched his bags from a living dead human. With haste to get out of the animated graveyard, Zim took wide strides, watching the ground intently to avoid having to look at anymore disgusting humans only to basically leap into a brewing rainstorm. Surprisingly, Zim bounded back under the store's patio examining the horrible poison falling ever so dangerously.

Zim growled to himself. "I should have checked the weather reports for today. Idiot."

All the humans that were coming out of the store didn't notice the badly disguised alien nor would they care seeing as most of them are Botox filled mothers that couldn't frown if their filthy lives depended on it. Zim kept an eye out for any way to get across the city without getting hurt and luckily saw a single human with a very large umbrella heading his way out of the store. The alien dashed under the vinyl protective cover and silently shadowed the clueless human until he stopped at his car and turned to see an unexpected guest.

"Hey? What are you doing? Are you stalking me?" The human looked suspicious. "Did Vin send you? Oh, my... he sent you to get his dues. I... I don't have it on me right now, but I _will_ get it. I... I'm working a couple of jobs that'll get him so much dough that I'll... that I'll... I'll be able to pay for a whole year!" He dropped his umbrella and fell to his knees. "Just don't kill me yet, please? I'm tryin'. I really am."

Zim felt very confused. "I wasn't sent by anyone. I just wanted to avoid the rain."

"Don't kill me. Please don't kill me." The man kept on muttering.

"I'm not gonna kill..." Zim's skin started sizzling and hissing. "Ouch! Oh, it burns!" He began running, hoping that he'd find some protection from the rain.

.*.*.

A smile crept upon Gaz's face as she gingerly held the box containing the very device that claimed to be the best GS by far and this time, she was first in line. She stayed at the mall for a while when she was challenged by an amateur claiming that he was the best in his town before he moved here and had heard about Gaz's well known skill. The poor fool never had a chance. An ambulance had to come by the mall to pick up the blabbering idiot. When they tried to take him, he resisted and fought back so harshly that the EMTs had to put him under anesthesia. As reward for her beating the kid, she had received the new game to the Vampire Piggy Hunter saga, courtesy of the stupid boy.

Despite the scary smile, Gaz was very angry at the weather, but she still walked with victory in her stance. She reached the corner where the alien had saved her. She remembered that the rain could hurt him and without thinking, she wondered if he had made it home okay. There was a lack of cars on the road so Gaz crossed the slick street and continued on her way home. The only creatures lurking about in a storm other than Gaz were hobos, feral animals, and citizens quickly making their way home. No one paid attention to Gaz as she strolled down along the sidewalk that she ran on earlier. Many of the stores she had passed were now closed in account of the heavy rainfall.

Normally, she wouldn't have a problem being alone and unnoticed, but after being saved by the alien, something felt wrong about the storm. It was when she reached a store with a fabric patio shade that she saw him slouching in a metal chair with his bags of groceries on the table next to him. His clothes were noticeably soaked and his normally lively green skin was now pale and blotchy with an odd xanthous hue.

"Hey." Gaz said quietly. Zim acknowledged the presence of the Dib-sister. "Are... are you alright?" Ordinarily, Gaz wouldn't care if anyone was in pain and/or dying, but this... being _did _save her earlier and she didn't like having to owe someone, much less the alien.

"Oh, yes. I'm fine. Fruity as you humans like to say."

She sat in the other chair with a slight huff. "I think you mean 'peachy' and there's no need to get all snappy. I was just asking you a question. I had no idea that you were against people asking question of you."

"I'm not!" He snapped then looked regretful. "Uh, I mean, I'm not. It's just that I'm stuck here until this pestiferous precipitation ceases to descend. At the present moment, my garb, being made of Irken materials, contributes to this persistent stinging that the binary compound poisons me with."

"You know, you could wear regular human clothes that could protect you better than your _Irken_ fabric and help you last longer in the rain." Gaz commented, taking in mind that the alien was _badly_ hurt, but knew that he wouldn't admit it.

Zim winced at the information. "I'd preferably not have to be any more human than I have to, so wearing human made habiliments are not an selection for myself."

Gaz sighed at the green being's lack of insight. "Whether you want to be human or not, wearing our clothes might help you survive better in not only water, but endure meat as well."

"Perhaps, but even if I do acquire human apparel, I can't go anyplace until this mock tempest is placid."

"What is with the vocab, Zim?" Gaz lightly laughed, something she didn't do often.

"I'm sure that _Dib-stink_ has told you of the transmission my Tallest sent me a few years ago?" Gaz nodded. "Well, during my time here after I've been discharged of my duties, I've taken to reading what I can about the humans since I'll be stuck here until I die. All my readings have involved many dictionaries in many languages as well as history books and fiction novels."

"Really?" Gaz asked.

Zim positively hummed. "I do like to turn back to the fiction authors Terry Pratchett and Piers Anthony. The worlds each of them have created are purely wonderful and creative unlike authors of today where everything seemly is about werewolves and vampires and star-crossed lovers, much like Romeo and Juliet gone wrong basically."

"Tell me about it. When I'm not on my GS, I'd be reading, but the latest books are _too_ romantically inclined and fantasy based. Sometimes, I'd be so desperate to read that I'd read my father's books about himself and his amazing discoveries."

"Ah. I've read the professor's books. I notice that he treats his experiments like his children and his children like experiments. I mean no offense, of course, but it seems true."

Gaz sighed. "Yeah, but Dib and I are used to it. Ever since our mother disappeared, our dad has become an annual fatherly figure. Dib and I raised ourselves pretty much."

"I'm sorry. I amazingly wish I knew what it was like to have parents, alas I was born in a tube. I had no one to at least tell me I was doing wrong." Zim sighed and slunk deeper into his chair. "I broke so many Irken laws, hurt many other beings in my deluded state of mind, and killed those I wish I didn't kill in the first place."

Gaz raised an eyebrow. "You actually killed someone?"

"Not just anyone." Zim sat up, placing his hands on the table and faced Gaz with intention. "I killed the most amazing Tallests in Irken history. Because of my stupidity, I killed them. Because of my stupidity, I attacked half of my planet during Impending Doom Part One and created fires so monumental, they were horrific. Because of my stupidity, I was sent here to have no part in Impending Doom Part Two." His eyes glittered suddenly as he stared at the wall of rain behind Gaz. "I haven't tried ridding the universe of myself, but now that I think of it." He stood up and walked to the edge of the patio cover. His contacted eyes glazed over as he passed the human. "Maybe it'd be better this way." He murmured to himself, but Gaz still heard him.

Gaz seaw the lean muscles in the alien's leg twitch in response to his brain patterns. The leg then lifted toward the storm with the point of his feet confidently pointing in the air while his heel gained height and distance. The distance look on his face also seemed calm and at ease with his decision. Gaz knew, in her head, that he was going to try to kill himself. The rain pitter-pattered on his foot and although she saw the smoke coming off of him, he wasn't retreating. He began to take another step until something in the girl's head clicked.

"Wait!" She cried, jumping out of her seat, knocking both of them unto the water covered sidewalk. She lifted herself to her hands, seeing that she had landed on top of the alien, covering most of his body with her own. "Don't go killing yourself. That is a coward's way to deal with the problems of the world and I won't allow it because if anyone is going to suffer, I'm going to be the cause. Now, I'm going to drag your pathetic body back to the table and prepare you for a painful stroll."

Zim just nodded and laid his head on the concrete despite the water burning his head. Gaz sighed as she planted her feet on the ground, taking one of his legs and pulled the alien, none too gently, back into safety. She, then, grabbed a hold of Zim's uniform and brought him to his feet.

"Take one bag and I'll take the other." She ordered while placing her GS box into the bag she's taking. Suddenly, she turned to face the alien and placed her toes up against his, forcing both of them to look into the other's eyes. "If you linger even for a moment out there, I'll banish you to the nightmare worlds where there is no hope of escaping."

"I understand perfectly." Zim replied with a straight face.

"Good." Secretly, Gaz was a little dumbstruck because Zim would be the first being to not cower before her and her 'evil eye'. "We're going to run in the rain to the next safe cover and repeat until we get to your house. Got it?" Zim nodded and clutched the bag tightly in his arms. Gaz did the same for the bag in her own arms and slightly smiled at the alien. "Ready?"

"No, but I'll survive." Zim answered.

Gaz somewhat growled and faced toward the distance, calculating about how far they had to go until the next stop. "Go!"

Gaz and Zim plunged into the storm and pelted along the sidewalk with determination. Gaz's violet hair became heavy with water and stuck to the sides of her face and her forehead as her own clothes were weighing her down. She became very conscious on how mush faster the alien was running than her. Although, Zim was having problems of his own. His clothes were wet from his first attempt to make it home in the rain and they were beyond soaked, sticking to him worse than glue did. Occasionally, water droplets landed directly on his eyes and temporarily blinded him, forcing him to base where he was running by his using other senses even though he couldn't focus very well with his antennas hidden under the damned wig.

They sighted an outdoor coffeehouse with it's tables covered by oversized pastel colored umbrellas. Zim smiled at the vision of safety while Gaz frowned at the fact that she'd have to get out of the rain that she desired so. They made it to a table, heavily breathing and collapsed into a couple of chairs next to each other.

"I have to say... that this has to be the... most fun I've had... being in danger." Zim stated between breaths.

"Then you haven't been in danger much." Gaz stated back knowing very well that he had been in many a fight with her brother who was a very good opponent although she'd never admit that to Dib. He had a big enough head as it is.

"Maybe I should spend more time with you." Zim said absentmindedly.

Gaz jerked her head to face Zim. "What?"

Zim lowered his head. "Nothing. I said nothing."

In truth, Gaz heard what he said and actually liked that he even mentioned that possibility. No one wanted to really spend extended time with her in fear of saying or doing something wrong and getting sent to the respected nightmare worlds. Gaz placed her bag down to wring out her hair, just so she can have an excuse to move around. Zim was silently berating himself for even saying anything to her, but what was puzzling him the most was that she was here _helping_ him from a slow and painful death. When they were younger, she wouldn't have given a crap about him and now? Now she's actually caring or... was it just because he saved her life first?

Either way, he couldn't think too deeply about it. His skin hadn't been this harmed in years and the pain was getting to his head. The already blurry environment was even blurrier in Zim's vision. The only thing he could see clearly was the outdoor table, his grocery bags, and the human girl. When they had to run again, he'd have to stick closer to her than he was sure she wanted and for some odd reason, he couldn't get his dream out of his head. What would the girl have to do with him? Gaz quickly got up to shake out her hair despite the fact that they're going back out into the rain. She flipped her head back and noticed that Zim is staring at her.

"What?" She snapped. Zim's trance was broken at her harsh word and adjusted his gaze to his lap. "We're about to break for another area. Get ready." She grabbed her bag and turned to the sidewalk again.

Once she turned, Zim quietly sighed, gathered his bag, and stood just behind Gaz. She could feel his presence and counted down from three. At the word 'go', they leaped back into the rain, dodging falling rain drops. All around them, the city was unusually quiet and still as if the world wanted the two running creatures to be solitary as the next safe point was coming up to them. All of a sudden, Zim blindly stumbled and grabbed unto Gaz's hand; she stopped running to catch him by his shoulders, both of them dropping the bags. She pulled him to his feet only for him to slip on a puddle and cause her to fall backward toward a building wall. He was being pulled along by Gaz's firm grip. Once Zim regained his balance, he sighed contentedly, and discovered that Gaz was _very_ close and _very_ warm.

Gaz saw this, too, since she couldn't really look anywhere but at the tall alien. Her back was up against a wall and her arms were resting on his shoulders. His own were, thankfully, on the building wall although they are on either side of her, shadowing her curves. They could hear the other breathing from the exertion of running, but each being could feel that it was probably not just that. Gaz had never allowed any being _this_ close to her and in all honesty, it was rather nice especially in the rain. With Zim, his society didn't allow close personal contact with _anyone_, but at that moment, he didn't understand why it was not allowed; it was positively enjoyable, despite the rain, which was blocked by the building at the moment.

Gaz couldn't help but be curious about Zim and pulled her arms in to bring him closer to her. When she could feel his hot breath brush her face, she gently slid her eyes closed, and lightly pressed her lips on his. Zim didn't have any idea what was going on while the girl touched him, but his entire body felt renewed and oddly relaxed. His feet inched closer to the wall, forcing himself to be closer to the human as his hands slid against the wall until they came into slight contact with Gaz's sides. He heard the human hum and felt the sound vibrate against his own lips while she idled her arms farther around his neck and slithered her hand under the wet wig, gripping one of his antennas with desire.

Something terrible and great coursed through the alien as the feeling of his most sensitive parts of his form was touched and tugged. His hands abruptly gripped the girl's waist, pulling her all the more closer to him adding to Gaz's own desire as she lost her breath from the move. She pulled him to her again using her open mouth to attack Zim's with her slick tongue. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she could hear her brother screaming at her about how this was such a bad idea, that she shouldn't be fraternizing with the enemy, but that just made her all the most excited to continue this curiosity of hers.

Zim, on the other hand, couldn't think while the human girl tugged on his antenna. It was like trying to think past a heavy dose of sleeping medication, but he could still take in everything around him. The rain was still falling with a more hurried pace, the occasional lightening split the sky, rolling thunder glided across the city, and the girl before him was in no hurry to run again. His hands explored the outline of Gaz's body without making her mad about lack of personal space, which Zim thought is ironic because of their present distance to each other.

Suddenly, something clicked in Gaz's head. She didn't let people close to her for a reason. She pushed Zim away from her and into the rain. Smoke rose up from his body as his face looked very confused. She ignored him as she picked up both of the dropped bags and walked to the dry patch of the city. At first, he didn't follow, but eventually she heard him slowly follow her. For once, she felt sorry that she made someone upset, but she couldn't let him know; the closer she could get to him could only end up with him in serious danger.

In this area, there weren't any chair or tables, just benches, so Gaz placed the ripping paper bags on the bench, keeping herself looking away from the alien. The memory of her first kiss already seemed like a long time ago, but she had to stop it. Zim shuffled his feet to stand behind Gaz.

"What was that?" He asked softly.

Silence for a moment. "What was what?" She clipped.

"What happened back there? What was that?"

"That is called a kiss, idiot. Don't you know what that is?" She said with forced anger.

"I may have been here for a few years and read many novels about romance, but that, back there, wasn't like I've read. The books haven't done that human sign of affection any justice. I just wanted to make sure it was what I thought it was."

Her head turned slightly to the side so that he could see her profile. "Yeah, well, now you know." She quickly turned back.

Zim was very bewildered by her sudden anger. "Have... did I do something wrong?"

_No._ She said in her head. _You did everything so right, but I can't risk you getting hurt._ She sighed and thought of a lie. "Yes, Zim. You did something you shouldn't have."

"What did I do?"

'Nothing!' She screamed inside her mind. "That's for me to know."

"But..."

Gaz interrupted. "We're about to go again. Do you want to carry a bag?"

Silently, Zim grabbed a bag, still wondering what he did wrong. Gaz shot off in the rain, unannounced, leaving Zim behind. Zim zoomed forward with irritability at Gaz's sudden mood change. He tried to catch up with her at first, but she was very fast; at least, she was until she slowed down when she had gone past her limit. At this point, Zim took to running beside her until the next dry area at a bus stop. She placed her bag down and thought about how much longer they had to go until they reach Zim's base.

"Good news. We only have to run once more until you can be safe in your 'house'."

"That's great." Zim said, not really caring about getting home. "What is your problem?"

"I don't have a problem."

Zim growled and gripped the infuriating girl by her upper arms to pull her up to him. "There is something wrong with you. At first, you didn't have a problem with even talking to me. Is it just because I saved you earlier today?"

"It's not just that." Gaz replied. "You appear broken and tired. If anything, you may be lonely."

"Lonely?" Zim barked. "I live with Gir, Mini-moose, and another Irken. I'm not lonely."

Gaz looked down. "I'm lonely, too, you know. I may live with my brother and see my father every now and then, but I'm still lonely." She met Zim's eyes. "Just because you live with other people doesn't mean you can't be lonely. I guess the only difference between your loneliness and mine is that mine is by choice."

"Why by choice?" Zim softened his grips on her.

"I... I don't want to say." Gaz looked away to her side, trying to get away from Zim's hold all together.

"You wanted to help me, but you don't want to help yourself?"

"I can't help myself. I'm already lost in my own nightmare world. I have no way out."

"What about the kiss we just shared? Did you feel lonely then because I know I didn't." Zim whispered.

Gaz took that in and smiled. "No. I felt happy." A frown quickly replaced the smile. "But I can't. The last time I was close to someone, she died."

"'She'? Do you mean your mother unit? What happened?" Zim inquired.

Gaz realized what she almost gave away and twisted herself out of the alien's hold. "I can't tell you. Just... just get your stuff and run. You can make it home well enough on your own from here."

Zim gathered his ruined bags and almost turned to leave when he shifted his things to one arm and caught Gaz by her waist. "I'll see you again and we'll talk about this, okay?"

Gaz slowly nodded until Zim pressed his lips to hers and left just as quickly as he had saved her. "I'm going to send you to the nightmare world for that!" She yelled after him as his figure slowly disappeared into the distance.

She turned to leave for her own home when she realized that she had no choice to see him again. He had her new GS.


	5. Chance

"Gaz? I'm heading out! Need anything?" Dib called up the stairs, knowing that he isn't going to get a reply from her.

Ever since she came home yesterday, she was silent as usual, but it wasn't the same silence that he was used to. She seemed to be lost in her head like something was bothering her or she couldn't seem to understand something she probably witnessed. He tried asking her about it and instead of her insulting him, she just left for her room and stayed there for the rest of the night and well into the early afternoon. He knew that she was awake; he could hear her pacing and quietly talking either to herself or her wicked dolls.

Dib sighed. "I'll be back soon, Gaz."

He took one last look up the stairs before turning and leaving the house with an umbrella. The storm that started yesterday was still blowing through the city, but Dib needed new clothes and couldn't put it off any longer. This year, now that he was able to prove some paranormal activities true or false, Dib had been promoted in his Swollen Eye agency and with the new position, he wanted to wear a different theme of clothes. Probably white like his father or his favorite hue of blue. Now that the alien has been laying low ever since that odd day, Dib could get more expensive items at the stores that he preferred to purchase from.

.*.*.

"Zim, are you sure that you're well enough to travel again? When you came home, you looked like shit. I haven't seen you like that. Ever! You've always been so careful when it comes to the weather. I don't understand. Plus, you've barely said a word for a while. Are you in that much pain?" Skoodge inquired while twisting his fingers in abnormal directions.

Zim stepped into the glue shower, bare of all clothes. "I'm not in pain, Skoodge." He said quietly as he disappeared past the shower curtain.

"Is Master sick?" Gir asked the short former Invader. "He don't look too good."

The short alien looked at Gir, being careful to keep a good distance between him and the robot. "I'm not sure, Gir-unit. He doesn't say more than ten words in a sentence. Something is up with him." Mini-moose squeaked agreeably.

"Computer, start shower." The three friends heard Zim say. The pipes whirred to life and vibrated with work as the glue sloshed out of the shower head.

"Maybe his mind is on something. Perhaps he found something for us to do instead of just laying around in the base or he could be reliving the Transmission in his head." The minions somewhat nodded at Skoodge's thoughts.

After Zim had been officially exiled, everyone thought of the Transmission with a capital for the reason that it has been an event that caused grief and regret to not only Zim, but everyone in the base. When the robots, including the computer, recalled that day they actually want to work without screwing up or being sarcastic. Skoodge became more wistful and more prone to injuries and mishaps when the Transmission wandered through his mind. He wasn't there when Zim received it, but he had the computer replay it to see if what he heard from the minions was true. Now, with Zim, it seemed that the memory of that day caused him act very human.

One day, he could be prosperous that he no longer had to serve for the two most derisory leaders the universe had ever seen. He'd still retain the broken mental attitude and posture, but he'd slightly smile and speak with a confidence that was only ever shown during this period of feelings. The next day, he'd be tempestuous by the fact that he had much to give to the Empire if they just gave him time to mature. Once or thrice, Gir had to be fixed due to him accidentally being near the tall alien during a heated rampage through the base. Mini-moose even had to be repaired once because of a rogue laser bullet. Skoodge had to be treated for almost serious traumas, but the memory of an enraged Zim still lingered in the short alien's mind.

Some days, Zim was so perplexed as to why he had to be the first Defect in over five centuries of Irken years. His ruby eyes would glaze over in deep thought or be bright with lack of sleep for sleeping had become a need for him now. When he could sleep, he'd get nightmares of the worst kind and would wake up all the more confused than he was the day before. Most days, though, he'd get so heavyhearted that he'd slumber for days only to wake and look so sullen that even the brightest day on Earth would dim and fade away. He'd pick at his food, not say much of anything, eerily tend to matters within the base, and often rush out of the base as if the walls were about to close around him.

Much of yesterday and this morning were spent in that gloomy manor, but there is one difference about his silence. It was if he knew something... something important and he had to know more about it even if meant reaching to impossible points just to learn more. Skoodge, being too kind of an alien after being shot out of a cannon, wouldn't dare ask what was on Zim's mind, but he couldn't help be very curious as to what might have happened the day before.

"Shower off, Computer." Zim's voice sliced through the thick quiet air of the base. "Clothes, Computer." The birr of mechanical arms filled the base with more sound as Mini-moose led Gir to the elevators since they weren't being of any current use. Zim finally stepped out of the shower and noticed that Skoodge was still present with a look of care and confusion. Zim gave the former Invader a smirk so small that it seemed unnoticeable.

"Are you sure that this is a good idea to leave right now?" Skoodge asked hesitantly.

"I'll be exquisitely well. I know you know that the glue works as it should."

The short alien shook his head. "It's not the glue that I'm worried about. You seem different today and it's a difference I somewhat fear. You appear to know something. I'd like to know-"

"No!" Zim interrupted firmly. "What I know is for me to know and no one else to find out about. I let you get away with knowing about my conflict with the Tallests, but I won't let you in my life anymore than necessary." Zim paused for a moment, thinking about something all of a sudden. "Well... I do let you know about ideas and plans and anything else that is of importance, but when it comes to things personal, I must keep it to myself. I know that you wish to know the events of yesterday and my reason for leaving today, but that is a personal matter I must attend to. Forgive me if that does not answer your questions that I know you have, however it is for the best, I'm sure."

Skoodge lowered his antennas. "It's fine. I shouldn't have... but I just needed to know... You're alright, right?"

Zim breath-fully chuckled and knelt, lowering himself to the caring alien's height. "I'm alright, you have my word." He stood up again and started to walk away, when he looked over his shoulder. "And you might want to stay awake for today. I fear that Gir might destroy the strange box I found the groceries. I'll need that for later, I believe."

On that note, Zim took his leave on his way to a clothing store. Surprisingly, he was going to take the human girl's advice.

.*.*.

The weatherman this morning said that the rain would clear up by late morning yet Dib ended trudging through harsh rainy winds with no hope that the rain would in fact clear up. Dib never did like new's weathers. He preferred his own weather-telling instruments. He'd have checked them, but they were placed right above Gaz's room and he didn't want to accidentally piss her off.

For a normal fifteen minute stroll to his favorite store, Aristotle's Men's Wardrobe, it took him thirty minutes to finally appear at the wacky door of the store drenched in water from the dripping air and rude vehicle drivers that happen to be on the road today. Once safe inside the store, Dib peeled off his black raincoat and hung it on the handy hooks nailed into the wall for situations such as the current weather. Another raincoat hung though it was completely dry.

"Hi, Michelle. Any new items come in since I last came by?" Dib asked, turning toward the cashier's counter where a very lean, very tall French woman stood looking out of a large window, watching the raindrops slither their way down along the glass.

"All ze new supplies are near ze back of store. Accessories on ze wall shelves." She said without looking away from the glass.

Her fair but graying hair slightly hung from the bun at the back of her head. Some strands framed her sad face as she stood very statue-like and silent. Dib knew that she doesn't like the rain here. She missed her own weather back in France, but she had to leave during World War V when her family had all been killed for being creative and independent. Dib's father actually became friends with the woman which was a mystery in itself as to how that happened in the first place. Being in America, she was available to be as creative as she wanted to, but there really wasn't anyone to talk to in this certain city. Dib tried to talk to her and always seemed to fail.

Turning away from her, Dib stepped over to the back wall where different kinds of cuff links, pocket watches, other baubles are lined in organized rows, all shining with the beauty that Michelle took into to designing each and every piece. A few feet from the shelves were stand-alone shelves and round racks holding the new clothes Dib wanted to see. Grinning, Dib found a pure white button-down shirt, a crisp clear sky blue vest, charcoal gray trousers, and a white undershirt. He took his choices to a door just to the right of him that led to the dressing rooms. Six doors were left open, welcoming Dib into one of them as he caught the faint jingle of the front door opening.

.*.*.

Entering the strange store, covered eyes studied the funny plastic man standing on a platform at a window opposite of another window where a soundless woman stood. Guessing that she was the owner, the customer walked up to the desk.

"Pardon me." He said.

"Oui?" She didn't look away from the window.

Partially taken aback by the motionless female, he took in the fact that she responded in a different language. "Je voudrais aider vêtements pour le choix de ce qu'on pourrait regarder bien sur moi."

Suddenly, her sad eyes glittered as her head turned to the new client. His odd choice of garb inspired the woman as she took in the fact that he was asking for help to choose his clothes. A smile curves her shapely lips as she slipped out from behind her counter motioning for him to follow her. "Droit cette façon, monsieur. Quelle taille avez-vous?" What ever size he wore, he must have always had a hard time shopping for clothes.

He shrugged his tiny shoulders. "Je ne sais pas." Zim had never purchased clothes before and didn't know what size his shirts were or the length of his pants would be.

Michelle just cocked her head to the side. "Vous comme certains couleurs?"

Zim nodded, knowing what his more admired colors are. "Rouge, violet, et noir."

The owner led Zim to each set of clothes containing his favorite colors telling him what kind of cut and/or style might be able fit his thin form. After she gave him her fashion advice, she placed herself near her counter, but didn't go behind it.

Zim stared at the wide variations and varieties of human clothes unsure of where to start. He picked up a blood red shirt when the silky item slipped off of it's hanger. Zim bent down to pick it up and place it back on the hanger when it slipped off again. While he was trying to figure out how to keep the shirt on the damned piece of plastic, he didn't notice a set of heavy footsteps walking around.

.*.*.

Dib came out of the dressing room area after standing in front of the full length mirror, unsatisfied at how the clothes fit him. He paused for a heartbeat when he saw Michelle standing away from the window. Usually, when she was in one of her moods, she didn't respond to anyone easily, but perhaps the customer who came in after Dib went into the dressing rooms was able to talk to her.

"Hey, Michelle, where's the..."

"Gah! What is zat you wear?" She straightened herself out and glided over to Dib, turning him around and tsking at his apparel. "Color, it's nice, but not ze style. Go pick something else. Something for autumn. Black wool sweater would do with striped shirt and jeans. Or same shirt, but different pants."

Dib looked down at himself. "Okay." He turned around and searched through the clothes to find something nice to satisfy Michelle in case she suddenly came to life again. He disappeared into the dressing rooms again, hoping that this new choice of clothes would be fine.

Michelle, on the other hand, couldn't see where her new client went to, when she saw his odd colored head near the ground. She stepped over to help him as he obviously needed help and decided to choose clothes that would look very dashing on the young man. Then, she pushed him in the direction of the dressing rooms, excited about how handsome the man would look in her choices.

Dib could hear the owner talking to the other customer where he was, feeling somewhat envious that she'd talk to the other person and not Dib, but she probably had a reason. It was when two sets of footsteps came into the dressing area and another door locks right next to him. Dib is suddenly tempted to see who else is here, so he stood on a chair in the little area with him and was about to peek over the wall when Michelle called for him.

"Dib, you ready to show me how you look?"

Sighing, Dib stepped down and unlocked his door, revealing his new look. He kept the white button-down on, but he switched the dress pants with a pair of jeans with an abstract line pattern right where the pockets were. Over his shirt he had on a black wool refer jacket that laid open to show how lean he is. Michelle smiled warmly.

"It's perfect. With ze jacket, you can wear turtle-neck and low graphic t-shirts." She nodded approvingly. "Oui, very nice."

"Thanks." Dib said before stepping back into his area to change back into his clothes when he heard a small automated voice speak. He could barely hear what it said. All he heard was 'ten minutes... sudden death.' Curious, he was about to step back unto the chair when Michelle called out saying that she'll meet Dib at the register. Huffy, Dib quickly changed and stepped out with the clothes he wanted to buy.

.*.*.

Zim carefully set his Pak on the chair near him and swiftly slipped out of his uniform and into the human clothes. While he changed, he thought about who else was in the store and what he could do if he caught Zim without his Pak. Suddenly very nervous, he fixed the clothes and stepped out into the main part of the store. He saw the kind human female helping a very familiar looking scythe haired human. The woman saw Zim standing there and clasped her hands together.

"You look fantastic! Do you feel nice?" At her comment, Dib turned to see who she was talking to only to see the last being he expected to see in a place like this.

Dib took in the fact that Zim was out of his uniform and in something that actually looked very good on him. Tight dull leather pants hugged the alien's legs as a deep purple t-shirt hung loosely under a dark blood red wool trench coat. Zim's boots and gloves, stylish as they were, stuck out because of the material they're made of and Michelle started complaining on that fact.

Zim stared at his favored boots and gloves. "But, I can't go anywhere without my gloves or boots. They are among the only things I have to keep on my person."

Michelle shook her head. "If you must wear gloves and boots, get some zat match ze clothes you wear now." She finished up with Dib and waved him off. Dib gathered his things and left, catching a last glance at the alien.

Zim stared at Dib as well until the human walked out into the rain and past the show window with the mannequin, then he turned back to the store owner. "I'll see what I can do about the gloves. Thank you." The owner nodded her head, watching her client go in the back to change again.

Nearly running, Zim started to pull off the coat and shirt before he even got in the dressing room and basically leaped onto his Pak. He placed it where it belonged and sighed in relief as he finished up in the dressing room. As odd it was, Zim wanted to talk to Dib.

The alien gathered up the clothes and went back into the main part of the store where the owner had a pile of clothes similar to the outfit he had in his arms.

She looks at him with elation. "I took ze liberty to pick more clothes for you. Would you like to try them on next?"

Zim shook his head, placing his items on the table and searching through the pile, finding that he's going to buy everything she picked out. "I'll take them all, Madame."

Shock flared over her face. "But zat would be over three hundred dollars!"

"That's not a problem for me." Zim took out the monies he had the computer take from the bank. Silly humans never considered an alien to crack their feeble security systems.

The owner scanned all the items, placed them in bags, and took the money from the young man. He nearly swiped the bags from the counter and gave his thanks to the human woman because she deserved it for her love of what she does.

.*.*.

"Human, wait!" Dib scoffed and continued to ignore the alien who was trying to catch up him. "Dib, please?" Sighing, Dib stopped under a store patio shade allowing the alien to finally meet up with him. When Zim got close enough, Dib spoke first.

"What do you possibly want, Zim!" Dib saw the alien wince when he sarcastically accented the abomination's name.

"I... only wanted to ask you how you've been doing since the last we saw each other. I feel as if I need friends seeing as how I'm stuck in your planet until death comes for me."

Dib's eye twitched under his glasses before he bursted out laughing. "You're kidding, right? When we were kids, you didn't want to have anything to do with us humans and now you're saying that you'd like to be friends now?" Dib wiped away a tear from his eye. "That's really rich, Zim!"

Zim suddenly looked very angry at the fact that he was being laughed at just like the Tallest did to him. "I wasn't make a joke, Dib. I realize now that I can't live on earth and not live on earth if you catch my meaning."

Dib calmed down at the sight of the mad alien. "I get your meaning but I don't believe you, Zim. I can't ever believe you."

"I expected that from you, I suppose. Mainly, I wanted to ask how your sister is doing. I... briefly saw her yesterday but succeeded in pushing a limit."

Dib took in what the alien just said and leaped into a defensive pose. "You're going to kidnap my sister to convince me or my father to give you what you want, aren't you?" Dib saw that the alien was about to answer back when Dib spook again. "I knew I couldn't trust you!" Dib took to running away. "Stay away from my sister or I'll kill you!"

Zim's single organ dropped lower in his body with sadness as he watched the human run away, believing his own conclusions than believing that Zim was in fact telling the truth.

Disheartened, Zim began walking home. All he wanted to know if Gaz was as anxious as he was this morning after last night's thrill, but the harsh manner her brother showed Zim, reminded the defect really, that he was an alien. Nothing more and nothing less.

.*.*.

"The gut!" Dib yelled as he slamed the front door, bringing his sister out if her room, sighing loudly.

"What could be wrong with your brain this time?" She stomped down the stairs as her brother tossed his new clothes on the couch while he continued toward the kitchen.

He opened the fridge and looked for something to drink. "I don't need your insults right now, sis. I just had an alien encounter."

Gaz's eyes glittered when Dib mentioned Zim. Last night when she came back home, all she could think about was her new GS and the fact that Zim had kissed her. Zim, of all people, kissed her. This morning, though, her mind shifted to how warm she felt when she was before him after being in the cold rain. How warm his arms felt when he held her close. She couldn't remember the last time she was hugged nor simply held. This morning, she realized that Zim was the first living being to ever get past her personal walls and she thought that someone who was able to do that deserved a chance to be near her.

Dib's voice had cut through her train of thought. "I went the Michelle's place only to see the stupid alien there trying clothes on, too. He only needs gloves and boots now to match his new wardrobe."

Gaz scoffed. "Sounds like someone's jealous."

"He looked nice, but that's not the point. The thing is that after I left, he came after me to basically ask if I wanted to be friends with him." Dib swiped the last soda and took a seat at the dining table. "I laughed in his face. Then he asked the strangest thing." Curious but not showing it, Gaz sat down as well waiting for her brother to continue his complaint about Zim.

Dib opened the soda, sipped from the can, and sighed. "He asked how you were doing." Dib saw a flicker of something on Gaz's normally stoic face. He leaned forward, slammed his soda on the table. "What happened last night, Gaz? He told me that he met you last night."

Her mouth suddenly went dry as her brother stared at her. He'd have to know that she was thinking about giving Zim a chance to be with her sooner or later. She just didn't expect him to know so soon. "I... uh... Zim, he..."

"Did he threaten you? Any word of a new hostile plan to take over the world? Anything I can use against him to prove once and for all that aliens exist?"

Gaz's nervousness faded then, now that she knew that her stupid brother didn't actually know anything yet. "No, Dib. He just saved me from getting hit by a truck yesterday when I lost my balance on my way to get my GS." She stood up to leave the kitchen.

"Oh, well..." Dib quietly sipped from the bent soda can. "How's the new game system, then?"

Gaz paused in her step. "It's... fine. I was... on a hard level... when you slammed the door." Without another moment wasted, she quickly escaped to her room and locked her door.

Dib's eyes widened. "He's done something to her!" He whispered to himself. "I'll kill him!"


	6. Never Forgotten

Gaz showed up in the kitchen long enough to satisfy the floating screen showing the age old video of her dad serving dinner before she holed herself in her room for the night. Dib only watched his strange sister, knowing that there was something wrong with her. For now, the screen was asking if he loves his father, the old yes/no buttons losing their color.

Meanwhile, Gaz paced around her room wondering when she was going to get her GS back. The need to play her new game was so great, her fingers twitched to possible fighting combos. She could easily play her old GS but she didn't want to touch that old dinosaur. No, she needed her new system.

_Wait_, she thought. _Is it really the game I want? _She stopped pacing, thinking about what she really wanted: another thrill with Zim. Her games always kept her entertained as a child, but after last night, Gaz realized that the adventures in her games could be out-shined by the technology Zim had. In all honesty, Gaz finally wanted a friend beyond her fellow gamers. Someone who took her out of her norm and thrust her into an adventure she could only play in her games.

It was then that she made up her mind. Glancing around her room, she prepared for her plan. Gaz stepped up to her closet and slipped on her black trench coat and black rain boots over her thin sneakers. She, then, pulled her black raincoat over her body and pulled up her hood.

"One more thing." She whispered as she walked to her purple dressers and jabbed a finger into a certain knot of wood that released a secret compartment containing her important items. Gaz counted out one hundred dollars and placed the rest back until a smiling face caught her eye.

Gaz lifted the picture from the compartment into better lighting. She smiled and grimaced at the old photo. Happy memories and sad moments filled the teen girl. Her mother was the most beautiful woman on earth but she rarely spoke. Instead, she sang. Her voice was always perfect even when she was sick. She could say the most simple word with a grace that not many could even dream of having.

Gaz wished that she had her mother's thin long ebony hair, but Gaz developed a quirk in her system due to the health concoction her father made her mother drink during her pregnancy. The drink turned Gaz's baby body into an unearthly strong being with the ability to use more than fifty percent of her brain which no one in earth history could brag about.

But the chemicals in the drink mangled with Gaz's DNA, changing her hair color to a rich purple and preventing unwanted fat and hairs to ever develop. The one thing Gaz did like about herself were her eyes that she got from her mother. Amber orbs always looked back at Gaz in photos and mirrors; orbs that always whispered, 'I'm always here for you, sweetie. I'll always be with you.'

But Gaz felt like she should have known what she was doing when she loved her mother as much as she did. The first signs of trouble first appeared when Gaz was born. Records showed that at the moment Gaz took her first breath, the hospital's power shut off killing patients in surgery and those on life support. The doctor, thankfully, had flashlights at hand but screamed when he saw the new child quietly floating in the air. The nurses finally covered the baby in a blanket and handed her to her mother when the power came back on.

Many times, when Gaz and Dib had pets, they all disappeared only to turn up in the oddest of places, dead by causes unknown not that anyone except Gaz really cared. She loved all the pets.

Her mother, saddened by the fact that her little girl kept losing her pets, held a play date. At first, Gaz was afraid of the other toddlers, but after a month of weekly dates, she warmed up to several of the children. Not long after Gaz began to care for her new friends did they catch a strange illness and all died without a chance to live their lives.

It was at the news of the deaths when Gaz began to piece together the fact that anyone she loved died. It was that fact that kept running through her head when her mother suddenly disappeared and never returned. Gaz's father and brother wouldn't talk to anyone after many months. Eventually, her father took down all the pictures with their mother and took all her belongings to somewhere unknown and began to work all the time. Dib didn't want to believe that their mother was dead, so he thought she was possibly abducted by aliens and began to investigate the supernatural.

Gaz, on the other hand, was able to sneak a single photo of her mother and cried every night that she was gone. Gaz was all alone and that was how she kept it. If she loved someone and showed it, she couldn't risk them leaving her as everyone else did. She loved Dib and her father, but she never showed it. As the years went by, Gaz trained herself to not care about anyone else and her brain to develop powers beyond any human's thoughts.

Gaz placed the picture back in the compartment and closed it. Gaz shouldn't be thinking about the past anymore; she had a mission to do.

"Security: Aware." Red lights turned on all over her room showing where her once stuffed animals sit, waiting for an intruder to enter the room.

Gaz smirked, turning on her stereo to keep Dib from thinking that she was being too quiet. Risking her brother catching her out of the house was something she couldn't allow. She slid the window open, feeling the cool damp night air wash over her, and jumped down, quietly and balanced. Being a superhuman had its handiness. With one look from her landing spot, she glanced at the house over her shoulder.

"I won't be long, brother." Her words softly swirled in the air marking where she was moments ago. A light trail of dust barely showed her path.

.*.*.

"Ooo! Master! You look so pretty and human in your new costume!" Gir squealed, hopping up and down in one spot in the living room.

Zim, undisguised, lightly glared at the robot. "Gir, I haven't even put them on yet."

Gir's eyes, then seemed distant. "Ohh... I knew-ed that!"

Zim rolled his eyes, gathered his new clothes, and went down to the lab to add a few holes for his Pak to fit through the human garb. Skoodge silently followed hoping to get the chance to ask about the night before.

When the smaller alien reached the lab, Zim was already planning out hole placements on his clothes with a familiar depressed aura. Feeling somewhat better that Zim was normal, Skoodge approached the working table with confidence. He saw the new clothes and liked the choices Zim made despite the lack of reason to suddenly want the new wardrobe.

"These are nice, Zim."

Zim quickly peeked over at the small alien. "They are."

Skoodge started to feel nervous about wanting to ask Zim the events of that morning and last night. "So... uh... They fit you, right?"

Zim continued working. "Of course."

"You... ah... like obviously like them since you bought them."

Zim merely nodded his head. His brain was still replaying the sharpness of Dib's curt reactions toward Zim.

"Zim... what happened last night?" Skoodge then covered his face with his arms, waiting for Zim to strike him.

After a while, when no blows came, Skoodge opened his eyes and lowered his arms to see Zim laying his upper body on the table crying, not caring that his tears were falling on his new clothes. The last time Zim had openly cried was years ago when his emotional Defect episodes caught him unprepared. Suddenly feeling sorry that he even had to pry, Skoodge walked up to the depressed alien and guided him to the sleeping corner, knowing that was soon as Zim is done, he'd want to sleep for the rest of the night. Zim slid along the wall to sit in a ball, his bright red eyes even brighter with his tears. Skoodge left him be and finished Zim's task for him. Among Zim's sobs, Skoodge heard him speak to himself.

"It was the best night I've had in so long. I've never felt so elated, even in the rain, unprotected. I had saved her earlier and when she came to help me... I couldn't feel more grateful. The first human to ever see me as something more than another being that happens to live on this planet." The tall alien slightly chuckled, but then sobbed even harder. "Her brother, though... I haven't done anything to him for years and he still treated me like a blood-thirsty monster. That's what I get to hoping."

Clothes all finished, Skoodge inched away feeling sorry for his friend and master. Being the shortest, next to Zim years ago, he never was appreciated. All the other Irkens didn't want to have anything to do with him besides the fact that he was brilliant with Invader skills. Not wanting to hear anymore of his friend's squeedlyspooch-wreaking weepings, he left for the main part of the base-house.

Gir and Mini-moose looked over at Skoodge coming up from the toilet from the couch. Gir munched on tacos that he got from somewhere and Mini-moose squeaked at the tiny alien.

Skoodge answered the moose minion. "I did ask, but he started crying." Mini-moose squeaked again. "I don't _know_ what happened today _or_ last night. All I know from listening to him cry to himself is that he met a human female who treated him as an equal and her brother being rude to him as usual."

Skoodge plopped down next to the robots, sighing. Mini-moose squeaked again. Realization struck Skoodge. "You're right! That Dib is the only human who ever treated Zim negative attention, so the girl must be his sister. But what was her name?"

The front door answered his question. Skoodge jumped at the sound of the knocking, Mini-moose turned to look at the door, and Gir hopped down from the sofa.

"I'll get it!" He happily cried as he leaped, imagining that he was in an action show, opening the door to reveal a dripping shadow in the doorway. "Hi! Who're you?"

The shadow shifted it's weight. "I... uh... I came to see Zim? I'm Gaz."

"Ok!" Gir nearly screamed. "You can come in!"

Gaz stepped into the house, sad to get out of the rain. "I wanted to see Zim. Is he here?"

Skoodge stared at the human in awe. She reminded him so much like an Irken female save the fact that she was part of a different race. "Uhh... he's down in the lab." He pointed to the kitchen. "You can go down through the hidden door near the trashcan."

One of her squinted eyes opened, allowing the alien to see her golden eye and a slight smile. "Thanks." With that, she left the living room.

"Bye, Scary Lady!" Gir shrieked, scaring the tiny alien out of his stupor.

.*.*.

The elevator going down toward the rest of the base was quiet as Gaz simply stood on the moving platform. Not that she didn't mind the silence, of course. The moment the platform slid to a halt, her amber eyes adjusted to the dim lab, wondering where the tall alien was.

She called for him and waited for a response, but several heartbeats later and nothing answered back. Almost wishing that she was back in the rain, Gaz walked around the base. The dims lights created dark corners and an eerie gloom that reminded her of her room. She almost smiled when she saw a pair of black boots peeking out from the shadows. As she got closer, the boots lead up to long black clad legs, a lean torso bearing a uniform tunic, and a sleeping head resting against the lab wall. Unable to resist, Gaz knelt beside the dormant alien and rested her hands on his shoulders.

He looks so peaceful and innocent while in this state, but she knew that the moment he wakes, his past will wear down on him. Her gaze looked up at the top of his head, studying long and thin black feelers occasionally twitching in reaction to his sleep. Guessing that they acted as ears, she leaned closer to him and took a slow deep breath with a devilish smirk.

"Wake up, you extraterrestrial idiot!"

Zim's carmine eyes opened as a small yelp escapes from his throat. Gaz hopped a few feet backward to get away from the disoriented alien, but wasn't far enough. Seeing him act like that brought memory of how he and Dib used to fight each other. His undisguised eyes shifted around the room to find the cause of his rude awakening. When he saw the intruder, he pounced upon her with a near feral glaze upon his eyes until he realized who was pinned beneath him. Her warmth seeped into his cold body as her hair fanned out beneath her head like a dark halo. Quickly, he brought himself away from such thoughts.

"It's nice to see you, human female." Gaz snorted as he brings himself to his feet. "It seems that you easily got past my minions. What can I do for you on this, a grim showery night?" He held out his hand in offering.

Gaz glared at the gloved hand and picked herself up, leaning most of her weight on one foot. "I've come to tell you that whatever Dib said to you yesterday wasn't your fault. He doesn't accept change very well and sometimes it annoys the crap out of me."

Zim's antenna perked up a little. "Are you apologizing on your brother's behalf?" Gaz choked on her own tongue. "Ah! You are. How sweet of you, but you needn't have done so. I knew that detail about your brother."

"Like I care." Gaz turned her head away from him and sighed. "In all honesty, I came to give you something I think you'd like." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a slight twitch from his eyes. Smirking, she began to walk away from him. "Of course, I don't have it on me. You're going to have to come along with me to get it."

Zim watched the human glide away from him until he came to his senses and followed her. He cleared his throat. "What is it that you'd be presenting to me, Gaz?"

Her eyes met his for a moment. "You'll see, won't you." She stepped closer to him and cocked her head to the side. "Unless you don't want to follow a 'filthy' human around."

A soft gloved talon grazed along her chin. "You are an exception to that demeaning term."

"Good." She, then stepped away from his reach and stepped onto the platform, arms crossed and waiting for him to get on.

Moments later, they stood next to each other in silence, but this time, Gaz didn't like it. As much as she would like to say anything, she doesn't know _what_ to say. Zim, on the other hand, knew what he wanted to say, but was afraid to speak. That is, until Gaz accidentally brushed her hand against his when she uncrossed her arms. The simple touch inflamed the alien and consumed him in hope that all will be well ever since the Transmission.

Gently, yet quickly, he pulled Gaz to him, his organ twisting and turning in sweet agony. "I want to speak with you about last night."

Gaz raised an eyebrow at him. "What's there to say?"

"Everything... and nothing. I just... You've started something and I don't know how to stop it." He ran his hand through her royal colored hair. "No one has come to my aid without being forced to during my time here... until you came to me. I can't..." He paused, his sentence hung in the heavy air.

"Zim?" Gaz brought her hand to his green face, very nearly lost in his crimson orbs. "You can't do what?"

He leaned into her touch. "I can't stop thinking about you. You've given me hope that not all humans are as stupid as I first thought."

Gaz snorted and lowered her hand. "Actually, they are. My family is the only exception to humanity even though I swear that Dib is more stupid than all of humanity combined."

"You might have a point there, but I still have hope none-the-less. I also think that you might be able to help me with something."

"Help you? What would I be helping you with?" She tried to push herself away from his grasp so that she could see his entire face and not just his eyes that told her that he was hiding something, but he held onto her with a firm grip.

He leaned his face toward hers, whispering his next words. "All in due time, human." He placed a chaste kiss on her cheek and let her go. "Until then," he said with more volume. "I'll be attempting to see what more I can figure out about my new mission."

"You have a new mission? Since when?" Gaz huffed.

"Since yesterday morning. It was like a _dream_ when I learned about it." Zim stated, confirming Gaz's thoughts of him hiding something.

"Well, I hope that I get to torture a few people when you _do_ include me in your mission."

Zim chuckled. "I wouldn't stop you from doing that anyway. Unless... it was me. Otherwise, I'd have to try all that I could to stop you from sending me to your respected nightmare world."

"Who says you could be able to stop me? Haven't you heard of the phrase, 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'?" Gaz set her fists on her hips.

"I have, but I see no reason to fear you now. Not while I still have you in my base where all my greatest power resides."

Gaz stepped up to him on her tip-toes, gazing up at him. "Then I'll just have to get you out of here for you to truly fear me as you once did when we were little." A slight gulp from his throat signaled her victory.

The platform stopped and opened up to the kitchen allowing the two beings to briefly meet with the minions still sitting in the living room, watching brain rotting shows on the ridiculously large television screen.

.*.*.

Fury easily took it's course, but it hadn't shown up just yet. It'll come. Not now. Soon.

The two of them acted like friends while conversing with the defective robot, the near useless floating robot, and a short Irken. What had caused her to think of hanging around _him_? If only she knew of the things he was capable of doing, then she'd safe in her room and not standing within an arm's distance from _him_. She didn't know, though, does she? He _must_ have done something to her to somehow convince her to bother being social.

She wasn't one to be social and yet, here she was, smiling more than ever. It was surprising, but highly unlikely if she were in her right state of mind. She was not, though. Anger boiled in his veins as he stormed away to plan and prepare for a confrontation with the alien scum. His sister depended on him to save her.

"I _will_ save you, Gaz." Dib whispered into the heavy rainfall, sprinting away from the green house.


	7. Arrival

"Are you quite sure about this?"

"Zim, I come here nearly all the time getting myself the best of the best. The owners love me; their best customer."

"But, Gaz, I have perfectly good gloves and boots. I don't need any more of them." Zim shifted his weight from foot to foot while waiting for the owners of the building to appear.

Gaz rolled her amber eyes. "I heard tell that your gloves don't match your new clothes like the ones you have on at the moment, so this is my gift to you. I would have gotten them by myself, but _I_ don't know what your new clothes look like." Gaz set herself in a chair in the lobby, watching the alien look nervous. "Just relax. Just tell them that with your skin condition, you were born missing a few digits on your hands and feet. They'll understand cause they've seen it before. They even made gloves for those who only have a single finger."

Zim released a breath he didn't know that he was holding. "You know me too well to have figured that out, human."

Gaz scoffed. "You're not that hard to read, Zim. Sorry."

"Very well, then." He sat in a chair next to her. "Tell me, dear Gaz, what exactly can you 'read' about me." His contact covered eyes set themselves on her own eyes.

Gaz's thoughts came to a sudden stop. If she were to tell him what she could read about him, she could end up saying how alike they both were and that was something she couldn't risk. She didn't want her new friend to disappear like everyone else that she loved in her young life. Not that she loved him at the moment, but who knew what could happen what with Gaz being in a certain stage where other girls are already having their first real boyfriends. She couldn't risk Zim to suffer a fate that Fate seemed to make a joke out of.

"I'm not going to tell you, Zim." She flatly stated.

"And why ever not?"

"Because... this isn't the place for information like that. People might take something the wrong way and end up being plain rude to you until you -or they- die."

Zim sighed. "Fair enough, but you _will_ tell me, yes?"

"Sure." Gaz threw out to him.

Silence followed the conversation until two sets of footsteps echoed through the building. Across from the lobby, a beaded curtain separated the store from the back rooms which led to the owner's home. Stepping through the curtain was an elderly man with an aura of power despite his small form and head of receding brown hair. Behind him was a woman around the same age as the man, but her hair was fully starlight white. She, too, had a powerful aura.

"Oh," the woman breathed. "I was wondering when you'd come back. And look, darling! She's brought a friend."

The man acknowledged their customers. "Nice to see you again, miss. How goes your brother?"

Gaz shrugged as she stood up. "He's been dumb as usual and dad is gone everyday like always." She sighed. Zim took notice of her emotions toward her father unit and only felt sorry that he couldn't help her with that problem.

The woman spoke. "Aw, hun. They won't always be like that. Something'll happen and they'll finally spend time with you ever since... well, you know. Just don't give up just yet." The woman gave the young girl a smile.

"Thanks. Anyway, this," Gaz pointed to Zim. "This is Zim. He's one of the few friends I have and I brought him here to get him new gloves. His current ones are a bit outdated." She winked at the alien who in turn huffed something under his breath. It wasn't English, she could tell. "Zim, this is Mr. and Mrs. Brahm. They used to be in the military. Now they spend their retirement creating wonderful accessories."

Zim's eyes lit up. "Military, you say? Which branch did you serve?"

"All of them." The couple said together.

"How so?" Zim asked.

"Both of our families, much like some others in our time, made us go to these camps for weeks upon weeks. Each camp had it's own month." The man informed. "None of us went to school because they were unavailable. War plagued the world for the fourth time in it's history. All we learned were in those camps. After a few decades of going to each camp, my generation became skilled in all forms of the military branches."

The woman took up from there. "Of course, the rest of our families were busy trying to stop the war, so many children basically lived in the camps, always moving every month. David, here, was lucky that he had a large family to go home to during the holidays."

"Yes, but I invited you many times to come over, my dear sweet Lidia. Each time, you refused."

"I did and for good reason." David gave his wife a puzzled look. "I refused each time to get you drawn to me even more. It worked out in the end of course."

"Perhaps." David answered, the turned back to the young people. "If you are ready, Zim, we'll get you started on what you need. If you'll come with us, please."

Zim glanced at Gaz. "Just go, Zim. They are another example of smart sane humans. I'll meet you at Bloaty's when they're done with you." Zim sighed and followed the elderly couple through the beaded curtain and into the workshop.

.*.*.

"I have to say that your hands are one of the most interesting we've ever seen." David announced, leading Zim back to the lobby.

"But, we enjoyed fitting them for your order. Your taste is exquisite and unique, just like Gaz's." Lidia added. "I can see why you two get along so well. How long has it been?"

Zim paused in his step. "Pardon?"

"How long have you two been..." The elderly woman stopped when she saw the questioning gaze from her customer. "N... never mind. I suppose that I'm just tired."

Zim's forehead creased where his eyebrows would be if he had any. "Well, I must say good-night and see if Gaz is still at the greasy food building. I'll come back in four days time for my order."

"Of course, Zim." David stated. "We'll bill you when we're done. Until next time, son." The man loosely saluted to the young man and waved goodbye as Zim turned to leave. He turned to his wife once the lobby was empty again. "You thought that they were courting, didn't you?"

Lidia sighed. "I did. She reminds me so much of her mother, Gaz does. Her mother always went for those who were the oddballs of humanity. The way that they acted around each other... I just assumed. They're in for it deep, but they don't see it. Probably because of something in their childhood that has them think that they aren't meant to even try dating."

"That," David said. "Or it's her brother. You remember how Dib is, right?" His wife silently nodded. "Or both, but we shouldn't pry anymore." He sighed. "Come on, dear. Let's close up shop."

.*.*.

The heavy rain finally liftsed to a light drizzle, but Zim was thankful none-the-less for a quick glue shower that Gaz let him have before leaving his base. He even had on one of his new outfits made up of a blood red poet's shirt, charcoal black vest, ebony black tights, and a midnight purple trench coat. When he came back to the living room after getting ready, he enjoyed seeing a slight red flush appear on her cheeks when she could see his change of clothes in better lighting.

Yet, here he was, trudging through the damned weather, hoping that the infernal female was where as she said she would be. Suddenly, he heard a faint sound off in the distance. His form froze, his breath silent, as he tried to make sense of the noise. Nothing, but the rain made a sound. In this part of town at this time of night, there were no vehicles or other forms of life. Zim wouldn't meet another living thing until he reached the highway separating the shopping district from the rest of the city. The humans who built the city must have been using some type of illegal drug when they came up with the blueprints.

After standing still and quiet for a few minutes, Zim cautiously continued on his way. That is... until he noticed another pair of footsteps. He paused mid-step, turned around, and listened to the growing sound of another coming his way. Zim could hear the other being breath despite Zim's wig obstructing his hearing. The footsteps sounded even closer until suddenly, when Zim could just see the shadowy figure of the other, the footsteps stopped and the figure vanishes. Mildly shocked, Zim stepped backwards and was about to face the direction he was going in until a disfigured voice spoke from behind him.

"Are you the one they call the Defect? The voice said.

Zim spun on his heel and aimed his mechanical legs at the shadowy figure. "Who wants to know?" He growled.

The voice chuckled. "No one you should care about." The figure pulled up a gun that humans could only dream of creating. "It's not like the dead should know their killer."

Zim's eyes widened as the barrel of the gun charged. "Who are you?"

Gold speckled emerald eyes glowed in front of Zim as an ivory grin grimly smiled. "I am death."

.*.*.

Gaz had been waiting longer than she felt that she should have. She had paid for her food and sat at a table for nearly an hour and half, so she stood up and started her way back to the store where she left Zim. She frowned at the light rainfall as she walked down the road, all the while thinking about how he looked thankful that she had done something for him without a condition. A small almost unnoticeable smile graced her face. She caught herself, though. She couldn't show too much affection toward Zim in fear that her powers might end up killing him as it did with her mother. Suddenly nervous, Gaz picked up her pace only to halt, silently gasping at the sight before her.

A shadow covered being hunched over a downed Zim, muttering to itself. A sleek gun flashed in the dull streetlights as did the being's odd eyes. Gaz quietly inched toward the being, noticing more details that were cloaked by the night's darkness. The being is obviously another alien, but looks more human than Zim does. By the gently roll of the alien's voice, Gaz knew that it was a female... whatever she was.

"I'll be rewarded so for your death, Defect." The alien murmured. "All I've to do is send a transmission to my sender and you won't be anything but a bad memory." A mephistophelean chuckle sounded.

Gaz was fuming while the female spoke, but at the sound of the evil laugh, enough was enough. "You've got nerve coming here!"

The being abruptly stood, facing the human. "You've no business here!"

"Oh?" Gaz braced herself for a possible attack from the alien. "Then why is my friend at your feet?"

The being chuckled again. "'Friend'?" She pointed to Zim with her gun. "This is not a reliable friend to keep. This is..."

"An Irken Defect. I know. I also know that you don't belong here, alien, so I suggest that you go back from where you came from and stay there."

The she-alien hissed. "I will not be simply ordered around by an earthling." She raised the gun at Gaz. "My task doesn't involve you, but if you force me, I might just have to kill you." She lowered the gun. "Consider yourself lucky." At that, the alien disappeared in a flash of sudden light, leaving Gaz alone with a dying Zim.

She rushed forward, landing hard on her knees, and laying her warm hands on his cold face. "Zim? Can you hear me?"

His eyes slid open enough to see the human. "Where..." His face pinched in pain.

"Whiner." She said automatically as she pressed her hands against his wound in his upper chest. "Whatever she was, she's gone. From what I could guess, she was a hired assassin sent by someone who knew that you were a Defect."

His mouth tried to form words, but his mouth was going slack. Only certain sounds slipped from him. "I'll be fine, hu... huma... Gaz."

She scoffed and slapped him. "Of course you will be otherwise I'll make sure you die in true pain." She pulled her watch out from under her long stone gray sleeve and pressed a certain button in it.

"Gaz?" The filtered voice of her brother spiked through to her ears.

"Get me, Dib."

"Where are you? Are you alright? Did-"

"Dib!" She yelled.

"What?"

"Your voice is annoying. I'm in the shopping district near Michelle's place."

"Got it. I'll be there soon."

Gaz put her watch away and turned back to Zim. She watched his closed eyes shift with the motion of his eyes and his chest shallowly rise and fall. His wound laid before her, beckoning her to do something to help. Had she hated the alien, she would have done what she could to place him in greater pain. Instead she lov... no, likes him. She could never love. Not with her powers always killing those she loves.

"Gaz?" A weak voice called. Her eyes focused on the alien again. "What do you read about me?"

A small grin appeared on her face. "I see a grand being, Zim." She pet his face, smoothing away his pains. "You are you and that is a great gift." She half-expected him to smile, but he frowned instead.

"Who am I? I'm naught, but a Defect." He paused in thought. "Not even that anymore. I'm simply nothing. That is all I am and all I will be."

"Zim..." Gaz bit her lip to keep from saying that he's not made of nothing, but that would lead to her admitting that she was feeling something for him. Last night, though, milled about her mind. The warmth they shared, the silent words they spoke. Her cold heart shivered with unfamiliar heat.

"Gaz?"

She silenced him with a gentle kiss. She did all she could to avoid the laser wound while leaning over Zim's body. She dully noted that his antenna slightly twitched as his left hand buried itself in her hair. In response, she lightly slid her hand along his black wig wanting to feel his antenna, but couldn't risk unexpected humans seeing who he really was.

When Gaz pulled away, Zim slightly whimpered. "I... If I... don't live, Gaz... keep my base safe."

"Zim, you're not going to..."

"Please?" His eyes stared into hers. "Please, it's... all I ask." Gaz could only nodded as they both fell silent, both hoping that tonight would end soon until his eyes drooped closed, leaving Gaz to her thoughts.

"I know that I can't tell you what you mean to me, now." She scoffed at herself. "I've turned into a freaking sap. You _had_ to go and save me. I just _had_ to fall for you." Her amber eyes suddenly widened. "Oh, no! What have I said!" A single tear escaped as the sleek black car zoomed up the street and slid to a stop where Gaz and Zim laid. The window idled down, revealing Dib.

"Dib? Is your head too big for your sense of all things? Where did you get that car?" Gaz hissed.

"I'll explain later when I get you home!" Her brother snipped.

"What about Zim? He's been attacked!"

Dib scoffed. "My only concern is you. You would have never gone to his base on your own accord. The farther from him the better you'll feel. I'm sure of it."

Summoning her demonic reserves, Gaz threw out a ribbon of purple magic around her brother's neck, successfully choking him. "I will not leave without Zim. You are going to help me get him in the car and you _will_ take him to his base so that he can get better. Am I clear?" Dib's light brown eyes flickered in obedience. "Good, now help me." Gaz said as she slightly loosened the hold on her brother. This was going to be a long night.

.*.*.

"What do you think you are doing?" The melodic voice of the woman whispered.

"I was trying to go about my life when I happened to see her falling into the street. I wasn't even thinking about my first meeting with you when I saved her. I just happened to see her. That's all!" Zim paced around in the white expanse.

"But you were trying to involve her into your life when you confronted her brother." She stated calmly.

"I..." Zim paused in his step. "I don't know why I did that." His uncovered eyes shifted about the dream world. "Well... I _think _I know, but I can't seem to understand why it had to be _that_ reason. It was back in my base when she came unannounced. Seeing her there was like a dream for myself. Even if she was glistening with that dreaded rain, it was that _reason_ that made me want to dare to even hold her.

"And the reason is...?" The woman asked knowingly.

"The reason..." He violently shook his head and resumed pacing. "No, I can't believe it. I didn't even start it and yet I want to finish it. Her soul calls to me yet I can't bring myself to do what I ache to do."

"What's holding you back?"

"There's something that she's not telling me. She told me that she couldn't be close to me. There's something that seems to preventing her from being a regular human. That something has grown and she has become the dark foreboding creature that I can't seem to forget about. I want to help her, I want to..." The alien jerked to a stop. He stared at the seated woman, her golden eyes held an unspoken question. "My reason..."

Zim's own eyes screwed shut as he tried to control his sudden epiphany and the emotions that came with it. He had never felt such strong feelings and it was causing him to feel lightheaded, dizzy even. His hands shook as his antenna quivered. He risked opening his eyes to see that woman once more.

"I want to love her."


End file.
